I got an email from Outrider Press. It was sent by PHYLLIS NELSON AKA WHITNEY SCOTT.

They're asking for a novel excerpt for an upcoming anthology. But there's very little information about them -- that I was able to find, anyway. I must have submitted a query awhile ago via Writer's Market, but I can't find anything else about them.

The main page of their website is down ( http://www.outriderpress.com ), but some of the sub-pages are still there. The books are either written or edited by Whitney Scott. The anthologies have a submission fee and no payment mentioned:

Quote:

Entry Fees: $16 for members / $12 for TallGrass members for each story or essay and for each group of poems up to four.

Looking up their books, most are out of print. There's little, if anything, said about them online. Only a few reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.

So in summary, a broken website, no online publicity to speak of, a submission fee and no mention of payment. I don't see you've got anything to gain by submitting.

They don't seem to have published anything since 20009, I've never heard of the "renowned" black-and-white anthology series and Whitney Scott doesn't mention which prize she won for Listen to the Moon. I'd give this one a miss.

__________________
"There is only one thing worse than being obliged to sit cross-legged on the grass, and that is being obliged to sit cross-legged on the grass near an ant colony"
Oscar Wilde (citation needed)

Hi everyone,
I haven't logged on in a while, but I sure wish I'd seen these messages earlier. I can provide some background about Outrider Press. Its publisher is Whitney Scott. Whitney is also the president of the Chicago-based TallGrass Writers Guild. I'm a board member of TWG. Outrider Press publishes one anthology a year, and has done so for more than 15 years. It's called the "Black and White Anthology" because the covers are black images on a glossy white background. In the past, those whose works have appeared in the anthologies have ranged from first-time published to established and award-winning authors, short-story writers, poets and essayists. BookList reviews the Outrider Press anthologies, and for the past four or five years, at least, its reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. "Renowned" has lots of definitions, but sequential positive reviews in BookList might, in this case, be among them. The nominal fee for submissions to the anthology helps cover the cost of publishing, of course, but also underwrites cash prizes given to winners in each of three writing categories, awarded by independent judges qualified to do so. In addition to the opportunity to have showcase your work published in a reputable, enduring anthology series, each year's writers are invited and encouraged to join the Outrider Press/TallGrass Writers Guild booth at the huge Chicago Tribune Printers Row LitFest, and to read from their current selection in the time reserved for them in one of the presentation tents. And lastly, throughout the year, TWG and Outrider schedule literary readings by anthology authors at various venues in Chicago, southern Wisconsin and northern Indiana. These readings are open to the public, and well publicized in area media. This year's anthology theme is "Mountains" and, as always, the theme is liberally interpreted. Submission guidelines can be found with a quick Google search. The deadline is nigh. As always, Thanks, Watercooler. You're the coolest!